PHP North West 2011 Conference

10 Oct 2011

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I’ve just spent a weekend at the PHP North West 2011 Conference.  I went to the London PHP day in February and a couple of people in the bar were enthusing about the North West event, so I decided to give it a go.

Why did I go to the conference?

I usually work from home, and I work on my own and this (while still being wonderful and completely amazing and best way to work ever) does mean that I miss out on the company of other developers.  Working with, and talking to, other people is a great way to learn; people tell you about things, you try new things, you get enthused and excited and you remember why you love your work.   Weblogs and mailing lists and twitter and IRC, although good things in and of themselves, are not quite the same as people.  So I try and fill a hole with local events and the occasional conference.  Sometimes it’s hard work; like a lot of people in this field I’m not the most sociable and gregarious person.

What did I like?

There was a great selection of talks, and making a choice was often difficult.  Choice isn’t always good – I sometimes end up feeling that the talk on the other side of the fence was greener and wondering what I’m missing.   But I saw some wonderful presentations, and all the presentations in the main tracks were videoed so I can check out the talks I missed when the videos go online (in about a month).

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